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<html><head><title>Assembly - Preparing the Fretboard</title>

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<h1>Preparing the Fretboard</h1>

<p>In contrast to Middleton, I suggest to cut the fret slots <em>before</em> the board is glued to the neck. This allows to use a slotting jig, which helps to keep the angle at exact 90 degrees to the center line, as well as setting the slot depth.</p>

<h2>Overview</h2>

<ol>
<li>Plane to approximate thickness, and square the sides</li>
<li>Cut binding strips</li>
<li>Adjustments to neck and soundboard geometry, plane to final thickness</li>
<li>Plane neck relief curve into top</li>
<li>Cut fret slots</li>
<li>Cut to length at nut</li>
<li>Cut fretboard sides to final shape</li>
<li>Add Side dots, front dots.</li>
<li>Cut sound hole circle</li>
<li>Mount bindings</li>
<li>Insert frets</li>
<li>Glue fretboard on neck and sound board.</li>
<li>Final adjustments to frets</li>
</ol>

<h2>Tools and Materials</h2>

<ul>
<li>Jointer, jack or block plane</li>
<li>Thickness caliper</li>
<li>A rip saw for length wise</li>
<li>A cross cut saw to cut the waste</li>
<li>Fret saw, or back saw with an appropriate cut width, and teeth geometry laid out for cross-grain cuts (i. e. not a rip-saw)</li>
<li>Additional colored binding strips</li>
<li>Frets</li>
<li>Titebond, glue, </li>
<li>Cabinet scraper</li>
<li>Sandpaper</li>
<li>Sanding blocks</li>
</ul>

<h2>Steps In Detail</h2>

<ul>
<li>Decide on dimensions: Width of nut, at 12 fret, length, final thickness, lengthwise and/or cross tapers, ramp over soundboard area, bindings strip width.</li>
</ul>

<p>The plane that goes through the top of the frets should meet the saddle at a specific heigt over the soundboard. A proper sounboard dome combined with the correct neck angle should make this possible. If not, a lengthwise thickness taper, or a shim under the fretboard can be considered, but it looks a bit awkwardly. If the Dome height, shape, and neck angle have been set up properly, there should also be no need for a taper, neither between 12th fret and sound hole, not towards the nut. However, the underside might have to be carved to fit an arched soundboard. Most builder avoid this an try to keep the soundboard flat above the sound hole.</p>

<p>A taper across the width may be considered now in order to give additional clearance for the bass strings.</p>

<p>If the binding strips are taken from other pieces of wood, you may use a smaller blank piece. Otherwise, you must take into account the width of the additional saw cuts, plus a saftety margin for possible inaccuracies.</p>

<ul>
<li>Plane the blank to approximate thickness, and square the sides.</li>
</ul>

<p>The blank must be absolutely flat, with vertical grain lines. Warped blanks indicate a not perfectly quartersawn piece, there is a certain possibility that humidity changes can later distort and bow the neck and fretboard assembly.</p>

<ul>
<li>Cut the waste off length-wise.</li>
<li>Cut the binding strips from the blank.</li>
<li>Put identification and orientation marks on the binding strips.</li>
<li>Store them in a safe place.</li>
</ul>

<p>If you plan to use one or more binding strips from the fretboard blank, take the additional cut widths plus safety margins into account. The pieces should be attached later in the same order and orientation as they have been cut from the blank. They will be thicknessed in a later step. Store them aside in a safe place. The cuts should follow the grain as best as possible to get the smoothest possible sides. This may impose that the left-over blank piece is not in the required trapezoidal shape. Thus...</p>
<p></p>

<ul>
<li>Cut the sides roughly to shape.</li>
</ul>

<p>Remember to leave some material for final planing to exact size. Sawing the fret grooves can produce some tear-out, which is eliminated when the blank is planed to the final size afterwards.</p>

<p>The shape is defined by the width at the nut, and the width at the 12th fret.</p>

<ul>
<li>Mark the centerline on the underside.</li>
<li>Drill the registration holes into the underside.</li>
</ul>

<p>If you have a fretboard outline template, use it to locate and mark the registration holes. If not, use a ruler.</p>

<p class="note">Attention: The registration holes are rather shallow, about 2 or 3 mm. Going any deeper puts you in the risk of perforating the fretboard.</p>

<ul>
<li>Mark the fretboard outline on the underside with a marking knife.</li>
<li>Cut the fretboard sides with a rip saw</li>
</ul>

<p>A japanese dozuki or a kataba should be fine. Keep just a bit off the line.</p>

<ul>
<li>Plane the sides to the marking lines exactly, and square to the bottom.</li>
</ul>

<p>Remember to go with the grain to avoid tear-out.</p>

<ul>
<li>Drill the registration holes in the neck.</li>
</ul>

<p>If you have a fretboard template, use it. Align on the neck centerline. Note that the registration hole depth is rather shallow ( 2 to 3 mm).</p>

<ul>
<li>Test fit the fretboard on the neck/body assembly.</li>
<li>Ajust the fretboard underside in the area between sound hole and upper edge of the body.</li>
</ul>

<p>As the soundboard is domed, the dome shape may have to be copied to the fretboard underside. Use scrapers for this purpose, it should not be much work. Finish when the sides fit perfectly to the top. A little hollowness does not matter very much.</p>

<ul>
<li>Glue or stick (with double-sided tape) a block of wood on the soundboard to represent the nut position.</li>
<li>Check the neck geometry, and make necessary corrections.</li>
<li>Plane the fretboard to the required height.</li>
</ul>

<p>The fretboard top side should meet the bridge at the desired height above the sound board. A temporarily glued on piece of wood at the bridge position can serve as reference point. Remember that the frets are not currently installed, their height may have to be subtracted in your calculation.</p>

<li></li>

<ul>
<li>Plane the desired neck relief into the fretboard.</li>
</ul>

<p>You may decide to have the fretboard perfectly flat instead.</p>

<li>Test fit the </li>

<p></p>

<ul>
<li>Cut fret slots</li>
<li>Cut (nearly?) to length at nut</li>
<li>Create lengthwise and cross tapers on the underside</li>
<li>Fit underside to neck and soundboard shape</li>
<li>Cut sound hole circle</li>
<li>Plane top for neck relief</li>
<li>Glue binding strips.</li>
<li>Insert and dress frets</li>
<li>Side dots, front dots.</li>
<li>Glue fretboard on neck and sound board.</li>
</ol>



<ul>
<li>Plane the board flat to the approximate thickness.</li>
</ul>

<p>Leave enough thickness for necessary tapering at the end.</p>

<ul>
<li>Scribe the center line with a white pencil on the board.</li>
</ul>

<p>The center line should follow the grain. Leave some Material on both sides for the binding strips. The binding strips should be cut parallel to the grain. This means that the unsawn board width must be wider than the (fully assembled) fretboard width at the sound hole, plus two saw cut widths.</p>

<ul>
<li>Scribe the side lines on the board using a marking knife. </li>
<li>If nessessary for the jig registration holes, continue the center line on the underside. </li>
</ul>

<p>The lines are intended as a stop mark for planing. Be sure to scribe with the grain to avoid that the wood structure deflects the blade. </p>

<p>The width at nut depends on the preferences of the player. Usual values are anyting from 48 to 58 mm. Width at the 12th fret is usually 62 mm <span class="ToBeConfirmed">(???)</span>.</p>

<ul>
<li>Scribe the binding strip lines on the board using a marking knife. </li>
</ul>

<p>Leave enough space for the saw guidance at the sound hole end, width for 2 saw cuts, and some space for planing.</p>

<ul>
<li>If appropriate, drill registration holes on the center line for mounting the board on the jigs.</li>
</ul>

<p>Drill through the waste area on both ends, or drill blind holes on the underside, as your jig requires. In this case, the centerline must be continued on the back.</p>

<ul>
<li>Cut the binding strips.</li>
<li>Plane, scrape or sand the binding strips to the exact width.</li>
</ul>

<p>Use a rip saw, or a tablesaw with jig. As already mentioned, the cut should follow the grain direction.</p>

<ul>
<li>Cut the fretboard sides.</li>
</ul>

<p>Make sure to stay outside of the lines with the cut. Use the rip saw. Note that the fretboard is tapered, so cut with the grain in the direction from bridge to nut. If you use a table saw with a cutting jig, register the fretboard in the appropriate holes.</p>

<p></p>

<ul>
<li>Plane the sides with a jointer square, and plane exatly to the side lines.</li>
</ul>

<li>Then its </li>

<ul>

</ul>

<p>The sound hole screw cramp must be padded on the underside so that no sound bars or bracings are damaged. The neck heel extention may get in the way at some point. The areas to the left and right of the heel foot cannot be used to apply counterpressure, because this would break the thin soundboard.</p>

<p>A dowel pin hole in the heel foot might help to keep the cramp in place when the screws are tightend.</p>

<p>Thick cork padding is advised near the sound hole. This should keep the pressure on the sound board low. The main force should go on the neck foot, and a little less on the sound bars.</p>

<p>Two pressure screws should be enough to clamp the fretboard to the soundboard.</p>

<p>Using hide glue seems to be impossible here, because the time to setup the cramps and clamps is expected to be too long.</p>

<h2>Procedure</h2>

<ul>
<li>Plane the underside.</li>
<li>Plane the top to just above the desired thickness.</li>
<li>If the construction requires, taper the thickness accordingly</li>
<li>Cut at the nut end.</li>
<li>Sand the underside with 80 Grid sandpaper if you use oily wood such as ebony.</li>
<li>Draw a center line on top.</li>
<li>Draw a center line on the bottom at the soundhole end.</li>
<li>Saw the sides to the exact width and lengthwise taper.</li>
<li>Create a nut piece of the exact desired width.</li>
<li>Fit it into the nut slot in the neck.</li>
</ul>

<p>This piece will act as a stop for the fretboard.</p>

<ul>
<li>If required, taper the fretboard end to match the slope of the sound board.</li>
</ul>

<p>If the neck is angled back too much so that there is a gap between fretboard and sound board, there is something wrong with the geometry. You can still patch some wood under the fretboard in the soundboard area, and fit a ramp that matches the shape of the top. You then have an "elevated" fretboard...</p>

<ul>
<li>Fix the fretboard to the neck, making sure that it is centered, and butts against the nut piece.</li>
<li>Make sure that it does not slide.</li>
<li>Mark the outline of the sound hole on the underside of the fretboard.</li>
<li>Saw the excess off, using a coping saw.</li>
<li>Sand to final shape.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Glue the fretboard to the neck.</li>
<li>Make sure the fretboard is exactly centered.</li>
<li>Clamp to position at the neck end first.</li>
<li>Align to center at sound hole.</li>
<li>Tighten the neck screw cramps.</li>
<li>Insert the soundhole screw clamps and press the fretboard to the soundboard.</li>
<li>Attach the F clamp to the heel area.</li>
<li>Tighten the clamps evenly.</li>
</ul>

<p>Then let the assembly dry.</p>

<p>The neck has been left wider on purpose.</p>

<ul>
<li>Use a spokeshave, chisel and scraper to fit the neck width to the fretboard.</li>
<li>Do not touch the fretboard width along the upper edge. Only blend a thin line where the fretboard meets the neck.</li>
<li>Use a sharp chisel and scraper to blend the heel shape to the fretboard.</li>
<li>Finish with sandpaper.</li>
</ul>

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